Princess Kiara
All about Cub Kiara!
Presentations
This page is an overview over the three different presentations showed in the TLK movies.
It contains information about Kopa, as well as images and polls.
Note: I will be referring to the cub at the end of TLK simply as TLKC. (The Lion King Cub.)
This is because it is not known wether the cub is male or female. We just assume it is female because Kiara appears in SP.
Page Index:
Presentation At The End Of TLK
How To Tell Male And Female Cubs Apart
Polls - Please Place Your Vote!
Simbas Presentation
At Simbas presentation, Rafiki goes into the cave to anoint Simba before carrying him out on Pride Rock.
Rafiki takes the newborn cub and walks to the tip of Pride Rock.
Simba is help up in the air by Rafiki.
After this, nothing more is shown of Simbas presentation.
Kiaras Presentation
At Kiaras presentation, she is carried out on Pride Rock by Nala, and then handed to Rafiki.
Rafiki holds Kiara up in the air.
Rafiki anoints Kiara.
Kiara is nuzzled lovingly by her parents at the end of her presentation. (This is not shown at Simbas nor the end of TLK presentation.)
Prince vs. Princess
Presentation of a Prince:
He gets anointed inside the cave, and is carried out on Pride Rock by Rafiki and held aloft.
Presentation of a Princess:
She is carried out on Pride Rock by her mother, held aloft by Rafiki and lastly anointed.
Presentation At The End Of TLK
The Presentation at the end of TLK:
The only thing that is shown of this presentation, is Simba and Nala standing on Pride Rock greeting the animals that have come to see their cub. Rafiki comes forward, holding the cub in his arms, and lifts it up for all to see.
If the cub was male: Rafiki could have been inside the cave to annoint him and has carried him out on Pride Rock to present him.
If the cub was female: Nala could have carried her out on Pride Rock and handed her to Rafiki, then greet the animals together with Simba, and lastly let Rafiki present the cub.
Questions
What about the mark on the forehead?
If you look at the pictures of Simbas presentation, the mark Rafiki made on his forehead is clearly visible. It can not be seen in pictures of Kiara or the cub at the end of TLK. This is an indication that the cub is female, despite the fact that the TLKC looks very much like a male. (Female cubs get their mark after Rafiki has held them up.)
Why two presentations?
One cub is presented at the end of TLK, and Kiara is presented at the beginning of SP. If the first cub was Kiara, why did they show the presentation a second time? The two ceremonies are also different.
If the cub at the end of TLK is supposed to be the character that later turned into Kiara, why did the animators not keep the ear stripes?
How To Tell Male And Female Cubs Apart
How can you tell male and female cubs apart?
Look at the image below, notice the clear differences between Simba and Nala.
Male: Female:
1 - Ruffled hair 1 - Smooth head
2 - Thick eyebrows 2 - Thin eyebrows
3 - Dark ear-stripes 3 - No ear-stripes
4 - Large nostrils 4 - Small nostrils
5 - Whiskers 5 - No whiskers
6 - Bellyfur separated from muzzle 6 - Bellyfur connected with muzzle
Notice the ruffled hair (female cubs have smooth heads with no hair sticking up, the only exception to this is Vitani) and the dark eyes. The TLKC`s face bears a striking resemblance to baby/cub Simba. The cub also has black ear stripes, exactly like cub Simba. Sarabi is the only female with this trait.
With baby cubs, it is difficult to tell them apart. Notice the second picture of Baby Simba, (in the paragraph about his presentation) where his bellyfur and muzzle are connected. This is a mistake.
Also, none of the baby cubs have whiskers, (in older cubs, only males have whiskers) but we all know that the cub at the start of TLK is Simba!
Notice also the difference in colour. Baby Simba and the TLKC are both golden, but Kiara is orange.
Another difference is the bodyshape. Kiara looks quite plump compared to the TLKC, and Baby Simba is by far the longest. Kiara and the TLKC seem to be the same length, but the TLKC looks thinner.
About Kopa
Who is this Kopa, you might wonder.
Kopa is the name of a male cub that appear in a series of books called The Lion King: Six New Adventures, released in 1994. They tell stories about events that happened before, during and after the plot in the movie.
Kopa is the son of Simba and Nala. He looks exactly like Cub Simba, except that he has a brown hairtuft on his head, like the one Kovu has.
In the books, Kopa is describes as a playful cub who loves to hear stories.
In the books, it is shown that Simba is very busy performing his royal duties, and so he has not always time to spend with his son. It is also shown that Nala is the one who worries more about Kopa, and want to protect him.
Kopa is friends with several other animals: Two monkeys, a cheetah cub and some others.
Below you can view some scans of him, taken from the books. Full credit for these go to Kønig der Løwen Fanseite: Simbas Pri.de
Names And Rumours
To clear things up, here is a list of the different names used for the cub seen at the end of TLK, as well as production names for Kiara and fan-fiction characters.
Fluffy: A name used by the producers of TLK as a joke. NOT an official name!
Tanabi: This is a character from a FAN-FICTION, not an official Disney character. He appears in the fanfic "The Tales of Tanabi," as the son of Simba and Nala. Written by Joshua Templin.
Chaka: Rumoured name for Simba`s (male) cub, this was dropped early in the production.
Shani: Early production name for Kiara.
Kopa: He appears as the cub of Simba and Nala, in The Lion King: 6 New Adventures, a series of books published in 1994, the same year the movie was released. See the paragraph above this one for pictures of him and more information. (After SP, Kopa has been ignored, and not regarded as an official character.)
So, in conclusion: According to Disney, the one and only cub Simba and Nala have is Kiara.
My Personal Opinion
I believe that the cub we see at the end of TLK is the cub that got known in books as Kopa. In my opinion, the cub is clearly a male. I really wish that Disney would give an official explanation on what happened to him. When SP was made, he got ignored and forgotten because the plot would not work out if he was going to be in the movie. (As the heir to the throne.)
Some people think he was friends with Nuka and Vitani before they were exiled, and that he and Vitani were even in love. Others think that Zira killed him, and that is what caused Simba to exile her and her family.
I think that Kopa might have gotten ill, or died in an accident while he was out exploring the Pride Lands. I personally think this would explain why Simba is so extremly overprotective of Kiara: He has lost one cub already, and he would do anything to prevent it from happening again.
Animations and Avatars
Some animations and avatars feauturing the cute baby lions.
Kiara:
Avatar:
Simba:
Animation by Interl - Disney Animations and More
Avatar:
TLKC:
Rate This Page!
If you think this page needs work/improvement, I will be happy to listen to your coments and suggestions. Feel free to fill in the Feedback form, or send me an email.
princess-kiara@hotmail.com